Key Idea: Lean production is about getting more from less: less waste, less stock, less time. This topic is the lean methods, when to hold stock anyway, and designing products so nothing is wasted at all.
Lean production
- Cut waste: faulty loaves, unsold loaves, idle time, excess stock.
- Greater efficiency: more output from the same inputs.
- It lowers cost, but needs reliable suppliers and trained staff.
JIT, JIC and kaizen
- Just-in-time: stock arrives just as it is needed.
- Just-in-case: a safety stock for when supply fails.
- Kaizen: many small improvements, suggested by the workers, that never stop.
Cradle to cradle
- Design products so every material goes back into nature or into making again.
- 'Waste equals food': crusts composted, bins refilled.
- It can cost more at first, and claims must be real, not greenwashing.
The words to know
| Word | Means | Do not confuse with |
|---|---|---|
| Lean production | producing with as little waste of materials, time and stock as possible | cutting quality to cut cost |
| Just-in-time (JIT) | receiving materials only as they are needed, so almost no stock is held | just-in-case, which holds a safety stock |
| Just-in-case (JIC) | holding extra stock in case supply or demand changes unexpectedly | waste: a buffer can be a sensible choice |
| Kaizen | continuous improvement through many small changes suggested by staff | one big change of method |
| Cradle to cradle | designing products so all materials can be reused or returned to nature safely | recycling into something of lower value (downcycling) |
Name the lean method, say what it cuts or improves, then show it in the case with a figure: loaves wasted, stock held, minutes saved. For JIT or JIC, weigh cost and space against the risk of running out.
Exam-style question
Lena's Bakery Ltd plans to move to just-in-time deliveries of flour from Valley Grain, holding a day's flour instead of a week's. Last February snow closed the road from the mill for two days. Explain one advantage and one disadvantage for Lena's Bakery Ltd of just-in-time.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Important: Lean production cuts waste, but it needs reliable suppliers, trained staff and time. Say what could go wrong in the case, not only what is saved.
Tap each card to check yourself.
Name two features of lean production. Less waste and greater efficiency.
When is just-in-case the better choice? When supply is unreliable or slow, like printed packets with a six-week lead time, or when running out is very costly.
State two features of kaizen. Any two: small, continuous improvements; ideas from the workers; low cost; it never stops.
One disadvantage of kaizen? The gains are small and slow, and meetings take staff time.
State two features of cradle to cradle. Any two: waste becomes a resource, materials are safe and reusable, renewable energy, products designed for reuse.
Why can a lean change lower morale? Fewer staff may be needed and the work is watched more closely.
Exam tips
- Lean production is less waste and greater efficiency: name both.
- JIT saves stock cost but risks stoppage; JIC is insurance at a cost.
- Kaizen is small, continuous, and led by workers' ideas.
- Cradle to cradle designs out waste from the start.
- Apply every point with a figure from the case.